The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-10-30
G0RD0N'S TOUR IN OHIO.
ERRONEOUS NORTHERN impress
SIONS CORRECTED.

OlNCINNATI, OCU. ~. In MS speech nero
last night, Gov. Gordon, of Georgia, alluded
to the reception of Hon. jefferson Davis
at Macon, as follows:
Suppose that we cheered jeff Davis, does that
mean going to war again? Let us reason. Sup
pose We didn't. Suppose we turned our back
on this pale-faced brokendown old man. What
did he do that | haven't done. ! don't think
shot anybody, but l tried hard. You might ask
me to turn a cold shoulder on the wife of
to the front. She followed me to
camp, shared my dangers even to the picket,
and at times in danger of the battle and under
Providence owe to her tender nursing that my
life was spared me. Why should | hate her? If
we should turn our backs on that man, refuse
him our Sympathies, we should merit the scorn
of every brave man in this audience, and you
would feel an absolute contempt for us When
JEFF Davis left the United States Senate, he left
it with regret and full of political honors. For
our sakes be became poor and debarred forever
from political honorS in his own country.
lie fingers to-day with broken
health and scarcely a place to lay
his head, dragging after him the wounded
limbs with increasing suffering that followed
him from Buena Vista. What would you think
of me il said Go hence, have no more use for
you?' | am not going to do it. would have CON
tempt for Gen Meryon [who sat on the stagel if
he went back on the grand old name of Abra-
ham Lincoln. Put yourself in the other fellows
place. 1t was my fortune a few weeks ago in
Philadelphia to take part in the celebration
of the adoption of the constitution, and when
Georgia had taken her part | was proud as
stood in the streets TO see the shattered remnants
OF the Union S old flags and as they were viewed
by that September light, amid the shouts
of ten thousand throats, felt that the blood
was pulSating in the veins of strong and grand
men, the remnants of the Grand Army of the
Republic Why shouldn't it? They were con-
secrated to cause which to those gathered
around them was as holy as honor and truth.
| would have no faith in home and liberty if
these men do not love their old flags. So, too,
we loved ours. Let us get out of the universe
when hatred of the South is called loyalty to
the North am going 10 show you that our
children should love their flags. A man is better
who has the nerve TO do justice, whatever it
costs. Was there any honor in carrying these
old liagSy They, toe, were woven by the patriotic
hands of Southern women They were delivered
to husbands, and fathers Consecrated by tears
and prayers. Some were rent with bullets,
blackened with gunpowder, and Redeemed with
the blood of the brave Don't we build monu-
mentS to the Confederate dead? Why, Gen.
Grant, the greatest general of the Union army,
said he was willing to share in the dedication of
a monument to the Confederate dead. There
isn't good sense in it, and the man who tries to
stir your passions does not deserve your votes.
y ou see in some OF your papers, column after
column about rebel flags. This is the truth,
was there; there were in all that great Central
City of Macon Ga, a dozen Confederate flags and
$4,000 of stars and stripes and yet some people
are so color blind that they could not see any
thing but rebel flags, and yet the very carriage
that bore Jeff Davis, and the horses that drew
him were literally covered with Union flags.
The very house that he was in was so covered
with them as to almost blind him Some
speeches were made. A leader was chosen to
present a memento of affection to his wife, and
the great climax of it was that the Union was
rehabilitated on firmer basis than ever
GORDON AT PORTSMOUTH.
PORTSMOUTH, O., Oct ga heavy
storm of rain broke upon the city to-day
The Democratic managers had made
arrangements to give Gov. Gordon hearty
reception, and Notwithstanding the in
clement weather, large audience greeted
him. The General, upon being introduced,
referred to the charge of being n "Ku-
Kluxn made by the Republican press and
denied it fully asserting that he never at
any time following the war belonged to any
organization except one formed for the
maintenance of law and order, and that
he had at any time been a mem
ber of secret society. He then
spoke Of the charges of sentimentalsm
made by the Commercial Gazette and
acknowledged the impeachment He argued
that all men actuated by a desire TO pro-
mote their country's welfare were
sentimentalists. He then launched out on
his main address by a statement, first, that
he would speak only of questions affecting
the people of both the North and South
and second that he desired to be questioned
the audience desired to be informed He
then spoke of the reception of Hon. jefferson
Davis, justifying it as in his speech at Gin
cinnati last night. He then referred to the
subject ofConfederate flags used in theMacon
demonstration, and touchingly described
the love the people felt for these war
stained banners and their desire to behold
them once more at their reunions. He held
that while there were about dozen of them
unfurled, there were at least 80, 900 national
flags displayed, but that the Northern cor
respondents of the partisan press were af-
fected with color blindness and could not
see them.
REFERENCES TO THE WAR.
In referring to the late war the General
said that at no time had the South desired
to destroy the Union, that she had furnished
too much Of valor, and treasure, and blood
toward its formation and building TO wish
it destroyed, and that the war was only the
outgrowth of the construction of the con-
stitution, which differed from that of the
people of the North. The sections he COM
pared to two boys, Johnnie and 'Yank, +"
who fell out over a matter that could not
be peaceably adjusted, and that Johnnie
having gotten the worst of the fight, had
been invited back by "Yank"; that the invi-
tation had been accepted and Johnnie" was
back to stay. In substantiation of this he
have the verdict changed if they could that
he had so expressed himself at reunions of
Confederate soldiers and in other places,
and that he re-echoed the sentiment of his
countrymen.
NEGROES AT THE POLLS
The vote of his State in a Presidential
election he explained by stating that the
colored people, finding they had been robbed
by the carpet-bag element after the war
would no longer affiliate with the Republi- |
can party in Presidential elections, and the |
mass of them not caring to vote with the |
Democracy had simply refrained from
voting at all. In temperance, the fence law |
and other questions of State interest, he |
said, the full vote Of both the colored |
and white people was cast without inter- |
ference or restraint, and that ON the /
latter question the coloree men had always |
carried the State against the financial in |
terests Of the whites The General spoke at |
some length on the condition of the colored |
people of the South, as compared with that |
of the years following the war, when they |
were governed by so-called Republicans,
and showed statistics that the col
ored people had increased in wealth
three-fold under Democratic rule; that their
facilities, which were paid for
out of taxes collected from the whites, had
over one hundred and twenty
fold, and that they were, as a people, pros
porous, contented and fully protected in all
their rights